Friends

From Collages

Do you have one of those friends that you've had since you were a child? How about since you were a baby? You know, one of those friends that you don't have to see or even talk to every week but the minute you get together it's as if no time has passed since your last visit. That's how Lilly and Payton are. They've know each other since they were babies, and pick up right where they left off the minute they are in the same room.

It's such a special experience as a mom to watch a friendship grow and bloom throughout the years. Seeing them go from toddling, babbling infants, to little girls and boys that have full conversations together about issues that are important to them - like food, imaginary friends, and the next game they are going to play.

Last week Payton and I had a wonderful mini vacation with Rachel and Lilly at their beautiful beach condo, and we definitely got to experience how much they have grown and changed. It was a wonderful getaway and full of fun moments and great memories.

The kids had an absolute ball swinging from the vines in the courtyard, playing in the water, discovering new sea creatures that Rachel kept finding in the ocean, and going on a pretend sea animal expedition inside the condo.

And even the fact that that Tropical Storm Bonnie rolled through while we were there didn't dampen their fun... it just gave them huge waves to "surf" on with the boogie board.
Thanks so much for inviting us Rachel & Lilly! We had a great time!

Summertime Fun

First, I have to tell you that our camera recently died. I haven't taken it to a camera repair shop yet, but I'm hoping it can be fixed. In the meantime, we are using our old camera, which doesn't quite compare to our newer one. So, I apologize for the blurry, dark, hard-to-see photos. Okay, now that that's out of the way, onto my post...

We've had a very laid-back summer lately. Lots of days spent playing with friends, lounging at the pool, and occasionally sleeping in! I've collected some random photos from the past month that I thought would be fun to share...

Our Busch Gardens pass includes their "Summer Nights" program where the park stays open later and they perform a light/pyrotechnic/gymnastics/dance/music show called "Kinetic." We went a couple weeks ago and Payton loved the show! Actually, we all really enjoyed it. It was kind of like a really crazy version of Cirque de Soliel. Of course he had to ride all the crazy rides while we were there too. Here are some photos of that evening...


Of course we've also had our share of rainy afternoon thunderstorms too. In which case, Payton and I often retreat to the guest room for a serious game of Mario Kart on the Wii. These other pictures are of our neighbors down the street whom Payton loves to play with under any circumstance - come rain or shine!


Lastly, I had to post these photos that Payton took the other morning when we were walking Rohy. The first ones turned out really quite good! Then the last ones made me laugh out loud when I viewed them on the camera. He's such a funny kid! Enjoy...

Father's Day

As always, holidays do not go by without notice around the Heckman household. And Father's Day is no exception. To me, Fathers and Mother's day are very important days on the calendar. We go through our daily lives and so often forget to thank our mothers, fathers, spouses, and those who were maternal or paternal influences in our lives. I always want Payton to know that Father's Day is a special day when we take the time to really recognize Brian for the incredible father he is.
I know Payton adores him. It's obvious to anyone who has ever seen them embrace at the end of a busy day. Payton runs a hundred miles an hour into Brian's out-stretched arms yelling "DADA!!!!!" at the top of his lungs. It's one of the happiest moments in my entire day.
But I also want Brian to know how much I love him for his role as "father" in our household. He is everything Hallmark could say in it's sappiest of cards, and so much more. I don't know what I ever did to deserve him as a husband and father to our family, but I thank God for giving him to us.
This father's day, Brian finally got the gift he's been wanting for many years. A right of passage, if you will. A real "man's" gift (insert caveman grunting noises). He finally got a Weber charcoal grill! And he was so excited and determined to use it on Father's Day, that even a thunderstorm couldn't keep him from grilling out. Yes, he ended up grilling on the back patio, but still... he grilled. And let me tell you... those were the best darn steaks I've ever had. Seriously.
Happy Father's Day sweetheart. We love you!

1st Weekend of Summer!

We kicked off the 1st weekend of summer in style by going on a mini-vacation with our good friends at their vacation house. Payton had a ball going out on the boat, catching lizards, fishing, playing, staying up way too late, and we enjoyed hanging out with our good friends. Here are some highlight photos from our fun weekend...and yes, that is an 8-foot gator swimming in the lake in front of the boat we were in...

Graduation Day 2010

I can hardly believe it... my "baby" graduated from preschool last week (see pictures to the left of him on his 1st day of school each year at Wesley Early Learning Center, and his last) . Yes, I cried... many times. It's not that I don't want him to grow up, it just makes me emotional to think that he will never again step foot on that campus as a student. It's the only school we've ever known, and now... he's an official graduate.

On the lighter side of things, he had a ball during the last week of school. They got to wrap up all sorts of projects they had been working on all year (including an adorable drawing workbook that I will treasure forever!), had special ice cream sundaes for snacktime one day, had a special chapel for just the graduating classes, and then wrapped it up on the final day with a little "graduation certificate" and cap.

I, of course, went a bit overboard with the graduation celebration and decorated the house with a banner, streamers and balloons (awww, come on, he's my baby!). And after school we celebrated with a special lunch out with one of his best friends. It was a very memorable day to say the least!

Here are a few pictures from the final days of school.

Chapel Video

Had to include this video of Payton boogin' down on stage at his last chapel. It's too cute! On screen, he's third from the right in the blue polo and plaid shorts. The video isn't great, but it's cute.

Another batch of random photos to share with you. This time it ranges from playdates to plants. I know... it's random, but stick with me.

First, I thought I'd share a fun idea for all my "Mario" fans out there. My son is obsessed with the video game "Mario Cart" on the Wii. He pretends to be Mario, draws Mario, studies his Mario trading cards... you get the picture. I searched online for Mario-related crafts, but found very little that was appropriate for his age. So, we decided (along with Payton's friend, Will) to make our own craft using trusty 'ol toilet paper rolls! Check out how cute they turned out:


The second group of photos is a mixture of a few things... most of which require some explanation.
This is a new box fort that we have in the house. It's provided hours of fun transforming from a playhouse, to a battle fort, to a Mario cart, to a secret hideout. Here, Payton is playing in it with his little buddy, Carter.

And then these next few photos are just to show how the crazy humidity in Florida is actually good for something - growing plants. My porch - which is screened in - acts like a greenhouse in the summer because of the humidity. I have not done a single thing with these plants except for replant them in bigger pots. I don't water them, I don't fertilize them and yet year after year they keep coming back bigger and more beautiful. I guess God is trying to show me the beauty that humidity can provide... because it certainly isn't in my hairdo!

That's it for now. Hope you enjoyed my randomness today!